


Something Unexpected: A Fairy Tail Prequel

by icemakestars



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Magic, Major Original Character(s), Multi, Rituals, Teenage Dorks, before Fairy Tail, good turned bad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-11
Updated: 2015-10-10
Packaged: 2018-04-14 05:05:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4551612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icemakestars/pseuds/icemakestars
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Layla Cross- a Celestial Wizard- just joined the magic guild, Saturn’s Eye. As unfortunate circumstances unfold, she must team up with the rowdy Ice Wizards Ur and Silver, the terrifying swordswoman Anja and the charming Gildarts. </p><p>Fate works in mysterious ways, and none of them are ready for what is to come.</p><p>//A prequel to Fairy Tail, based on the idea that Lucy, Juvia, Ultear and Erza's mothers and Gray's and Cana's fathers were once in a guild together//</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A New Recruit

**Author's Note:**

> I posted this on Tumblr based on the AU that, before Fairy Tail, Gildarts was in a guild called Saturn's Eye, situated further North than Magnolia. 
> 
> Also members of Saturn's Eye were Silver, Ur, Layla and Anja (my OC for Erza's mum).
> 
> I'll update this on Tumblr before on here, so if you want to follow me on there then my url is @ice-bringer

"Will you keep it down, Silver!' Gildarts complained from his seat next to the bar. The legal drinking age in Fiore was fifteen, and Gildarts had made sure to take advantage of his guilds variety of alcohol in the three years he had been legally able to do so.

"And what if I don’t want to?" Silver challenged, voice low. He glared from the other side of Saturn Eye's guildhall, stopping his conversation with Acacia, the barmaid. Her blue hair was braided today, and it hung over her shoulder as she leant down to speak to Silver.

"Then I'll have to make you." Gildarts slammed his drink down onto the table, and when he looked up Silver was already standing. 

"As if you could, you old geezer." Silver sneered, crossing his arms over his chest and smirking. It was warm today so he opted to go shirtless, as he often did in the summertime. 

"Old geezer? All of that ice must have frozen your brain cells if you think I'm more than two years older than you, you bastard." Gildarts said.

"With a face as ugly as that? I could have mistaken you for Master's ass crack!" 

"You little sh-"  Gildart’s stepped  forward at the comment, white lights already radiating from his palm as he prepared for a fight. 

" _Enough_ _!_ " The shout came from the doorway of the guild, and could only belong to the one person who could ever stop a fight between the rowdy duo: Ur Milkovich. 

She stood with her hands on her hips, glaring condescendingly as though she was dealing with two small children. Behind her was their guild master, Ida, and another woman stood just slightly out of view. 

“We have a new recruit.” Ida’s voice was as pale and sickly as her complexion, but that just added to the general feel of oddness surrounding her. She wasn’t young, not anymore, and she stayed out of combat unless it was necessary. Ida was one of the only guild masters in Fiore to demand that her guild call her by her first name. ‘Master’ made it sound as though men were the ones in charge, an idea that she despised, and ‘Mistress’ was far too pretentious for her. Silver had once ref erred to her as ‘Oba-san’, and she didn't like that much, either. Neither did Silver, when she had burnt him to a crisp over it. 

“Ignore those two, they can't help it. They're just common idiots.” Ur turned to speak to the other woman, who laughed lightly at her comment. 

“Who are you calling an idiot?” Silver shouted. Gildarts was amazed Silver had the energy to pick another fight, this time with someone who used the same magic as him. 

“I'm calling you an idiot, you idiot.” Ur jeered, already forming her hands into a position designed to create magical ice . 

“Not now, Ur-Sama .” Ida said, reaching forward to rest her hand on Ur’s shoulder. It was nothing more than a warning, but Ur did not dare to defy it.Ur turned around to face the master, rubbing her neck and laughing. 

“Ah sorry, Ida-San. I got lost in the moment. Anyway, this is our new member! Come and say hello…” Ur never stopped facing Ida and their companion,  but the rest of the guild knew that at least some part of that was aimed at them. 

A woman stepped from behind them,  her eyes focusing intently on the ground as she stood modestly, with her hands behind her back and ankles crossed.  She was utterly  radiant, with hair the colour of sunflower petals and eyes, although cast down in embarrassment, shining brightly.

She wore a long green pleated skirt that curved around her hips and thighs until it reached the black sandals she wore on her feet. Although her bottom attire was delicate, the  white dress top she wore was suggestive at best, and was undone enough to reveal her generous cleavage, but not any more than that. A woven summer hat decorated with a green ribbon was billowing slightly upon her head, and strands of hair were peeking out from underneath it to fall onto her pale cheeks. 

“My name is Layla. I hope to have fun working with you all!” Her words were almost lyrical as she smiled joyously at her new guild. 

Gildarts slumped back in his chair, stunned by the presence of such a beauty in their guild. Sure, there were attractive women in Saturn’ s Eye- Ur, Acacia and Anja, an incredibly strong female wizard who rivaled Ur’s own abilities, to name a few-  but both Silver and himself had been aggressively turned down by all of them. He glanced over at Silver, who's shocked expression mirrored Gildarts’ own. Their eyes met and both frowned, knowing for a fact what their new rivalry would be over. 

“This way, Layla! There are some people I want you to meet.” Ur grabbed Layla’s hand and pulled her, rather ungraciously, into the guild. They were aiming directly for the stools next to Gildarts, and he spared a quick, smug glance over at Silver. 

He had won this battle for sure.


	2. Every Face Has A Story

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to @brolinfinity on tumblr for the art for this! It's truly beautiful...
> 
> Follow me on Tumblr- @ice-bringer

_Layla Cross- a Celestial Wizard- just joined the magic guild, Saturn’s Eye. As unfortunate circumstances unfold, she must team up with the rowdy Ice Wizards Ur and Silver, the terrifying swordswoman Anja and the charming Gildarts._

_Fate works in mysterious ways, and none of them are ready for what is to come._

(Halfway through this chapter I started typing ‘Lucy’ as opposed to ‘Layla’. I had to lie down for a very long time once I had realised).

Shout out to brolinfinity. Not only is her art of these characters stunning, her support and motivation are what drived this fic. Thank you, Laura!

* * *

 

“Layla, this is Gildarts. He was one of the idiots making all of the noise when we first arrived.” Ur said as she pulled back a bar stool and flopped onto it. Layla tentatively fingered the edge of the neighbouring stool before sitting down as well.  

“Nice to meet you, Layla.” Gildarts gritted his teeth and glared at Ur for insulting his intelligence  _yet again_ , but chose not to comment further; first impressions were everything, and Gildarts couldn't risk Layla thinking ill of him so early on in their ‘relationship’.

Silver, it seemed, did not have that problem.  

“What the hell, Ur? Why did you prioritise that large-foreheaded moron over me?” Silver yelled, already stomping across the guild hall.  

“Aww are you some kind of baby? Can't wait five minutes to meet a pretty girl?” Ur taunted, flicking Silver between the eyes where he stood, domineering over her.  

They continued bickering, Silver’s voice rising in volume and Ur mocking him for ‘being so stupid’. Subconsciously, Layla had shifted away from the arguing pair. Gildarts noticed it with a concealed smirk.

“Don't worry, they're always like this.” Gildarts watched as Acacia’s soft voice made Layla start, and she turned in surprise to see the bluenette cleaning glasses and smiling at her.  

Gildarts got up from his stool, abandoning his half-full glass, and walked around Ur (who now had Silver in a headlock and was ruffling his hair with her fist). After a well-placed elbow into Silver’s ribs, and his yells of ‘Watch it, you bastard!’, Gildarts took the empty seat next to Layla. Now that he was sitting closer to the kitchen, Gildarts could smell pie cooking. He was suddenly acutely aware that he had not yet ate that day.

“I'm actually surprised you haven't joined in, Gildarts.” Acacia giggled. Gildarts shrugged and smiled weakly, deciding it best not to explain that the source of his placidity was the blonde sitting next to him.

“Another whiskey and water for me, please, and whatever Newbie here would like. Thanks, Acacia.”  

“I-umm- I don't actually drink, so just an orange for me, if it's not too much trouble.” Layla blushed, her gratitude at Gildarts’ kind gesture tucked into the warm creases of her smile.  

“It's no problem at all! I’ll be right back with your drinks!” She had a way of sounding excited by the most mundane things, and it never failed to surprise, and endear, Gildarts. Acacia turned away from the pair, allowing Gildarts to idly scan over the mark on the back of her neck.  

It was a circle of ebony swirls, and inside that circle was a ring of black dots. A large swirl sat in the center, and glowed an eerie shade of white. All of this was framed with tufts of azure coloured hair, scraped back into the braid she wore today.  

Layla must have noticed it as well, as she almost toppled from her stool in her haste to turn and face Gildarts.  

“Is that a Curse Seal?” She whispered loudly, eyes wide and afraid.  

“Yeah… She's had it for as long as I've known her.” Gildarts said thoughtfully, remembering his first days in Saturn's Eye. He had always wondered at how such a jovial, thoughtful young lady had ended up being cursed, until one day his curiosity had gotten the better of him and he had asked Ur.

“But she seems so nice! Why would anyone want to curse her?” Layla frowned. 

Gildarts hummed. Acacia could no doubt hear what they were discussing, so if she did not want the new girl to know about her family then she would say so.  

“The curse wasn't on her, not really… Her grandmother was dating a creepy guy- a follower of Zeref or something- and she cheated on him with some other local in the town. Anyway, he decided that he would punish not only her, but her whole family. So now each first-born is cursed with the elements.”

“The elements?” Layla repeated back, resting her chin on her knuckle with her elbow on the counter in front of her.

“Yes, the elements. The grandmother was cursed with Earth. Landslides often happened around her, sandstorms as well. Her father was Fire, and could set objects alight with a mere touch. Acacia said that he never held her as a child.” 

“And Acacia? What about her?” The genuine concern wavering Layla’s voice over a woman she had just met touched Gildarts, and he realised why Acacia hadn't interrupted the story yet. This wasn't just idle gossip; Layla wanted to know about this because she was a kind and honest person, and there was nothing else to it. Gildarts had only known the woman for minutes that he could count on his hand, but he already respected her. He leaned back on his stool.

“She was Wind. Apparently her father found a way to seal the Curse when she was born. Now, Acacia cannot use magic, and when she gets angry the curse can still effect her. She's caused one or two hurricanes in her time! But if she ever has children, they will be-“

“Water.” Layla finished in a sad whisper.

“Exactly. We don’t know if that means tsunamis or heavy rain showers, but Acacia said that she would seal the curse, just like her father did for her.” Gildarts finished with a soft sigh.  

“If that wasn't so heart-breaking, it would almost be poetic.” Layla mused sadly.

“Aren't the greatest poems riddled with tragedy?” Gildarts laughed as Layla jumped. They both turned to face the source of the voice, Layla seeming startled and Gildarts indifferent. It had been two weeks since Anja Ivarsson had last stepped into Saturn's Eye, but nobody was expecting her for another few days. The question was posed in Gildarts' eyes, and Anja smiled triumphantly at him.

"I finished my job early. Apparently the beast they wished for me to tame was less ferocious than they thought."

"Or maybe they just underestimated you."  

"Yes, that may be so." Anja mused. Her short, scarlet hair was worn down, as it always was, her fringe pinned back on the top of her head with one steel clip. Despite being no taller than five-foot-four there was something about her that demanded instant respect, and the attention of everyone in the room. Judging by the wonderment on Layla's face, Anja definitely had both.

"I don't recall seeing you before?" Her voice rose with the question, which was not delivered unkindly.

"I just moved here from the West. My name is Layla. It's wonderful to meet you." Layla smiled politely. She cast a concerned glance at Gildarts when Anja started scraping chairs over, but he merely grinned in response. Anja was honest and loyal, but also unbelievably dense. Subtlety wasn't a word she knew, and so she often came across as passive aggressive or just needlessly blunt. However, Gildarts had grown fond of her simplistic attitude, and respected the warrior that she had proven to be.

Anja pulled up three chairs. She settled into one and waited impatiently for Ur and SIlver to take the other two. They complied silently, settling into the chairs without a breath of resistance.

"I'm Anja." Gildarts rolled his eyes at how long it took the female wizard to realise that she had not introduced herself. Layla nodded quickly, and then opened her mouth in speech.

"I lived in the port town of Hargeon. My did was part of a local merchant guild called 'Love and Lucky'. He always intended me to join there when I was older, and he despises wizard guilds-"

"So how did you end up here?" Ur questioned, throwing her arm over the back of her chair and sprawling out her legs.

"I don't always do what I'm told to do." Layla growled, and Gildarts was surprised by the aggression he found clouding her eyes. There was no doubt a story behind her words, but none of them asked for her to expand further. The tight way she held her upper lip showed that she wouldn't talk about it, anyway. 

"Why did you move?" Silver inclined his head and frowned, asking the question with his body as well as his voice.

"There was a rise in the number of dark guilds in the area, and a few of the local light guilds were becoming more and more rowdy. As I said, my father disapproves of magic, so we moved further North. He thinks it's calmer here, but I guess not!" Gildarts laughed as Layla glanced purposefully at Ur and Silver.

"Well, we're glad to have you!" Anja reached over the pat Layla reassuringly on the leg.  

"Here's your drinks!" Acacia appeared next to them, leaving five glasses of various sizes, filled with different concoctions of alcohol and cordial.

Anja, Ur and Silver continued to interrogate Layla, asking her questions about her old home and village and friends. Gildarts, however, realised that they had forgotten to ask something of incredible importance; what magic did Layla use? He gave her the once over, but could find no signs of weaponry. So she didn't use a similar magic to Anja then. It was possible that she used creation magic, like Ur, Silver, and Gildarts himself, where they gave magic energy a physical form, but she seemed far too...  _dainty_  for the likes of that.There was also a bulge forming on the side of her thigh, and Gildarts felt it would relate to the magic that she held.

"What type of magic do you use?" Gildarts cut into Silver's next question, earning an indignant yelp in response. Layla smiled slowly, lips curling up with sly promise. She rummaged around under the waistband of her skirt, earning confused and concerned glances from the wizards surrounding her, Gildarts included. Was she going to brandish a weapon, or something else? She pulled out a golden key with the red sign of cancer engraved at the top and crap legs where the cuts and tip should be.  

"Open gate of the Giant Crab: Cancer!" Gildarts shielded his eyes against the onslaught of golden light, but dropped his hand in shock when a giant, orange crab-man appeared in front of them. Ur leapt back in surprise, her chair clattering to the wooden floor beneath them. Anja had one hand braced against her katana, and Silver was gaping in awe, mouth wide and eyes curious.  

"Ehhhhhhhh?" Gildarts, Ur, Anja and Silver all exclaimed together. Layla laughed again before turning to the crab and speaking.

"Sorry Cancer, there's no emergency. My friends here just wanted to know what kind of magic I used."  

"No problem... Ebi." Cancer's form quivered, and then faded. When he disappeared from in front of them, nobody spoke.  

"So, um..." Ur began, propping up her chair and sitting down once again.

"What the hell was that?" Silver said, resting his hands on his knees and bending forward.

"He is Cancer, and he's one of my Spirts." Gildarts made a 'please explain' gesture with his hands, and Layla sighed.

"I'm a Celstial Wizard, which means I summon spirits from another world. Cancer, the spirit I just summoned, is one of the twelve spirits of the Zodiac, the most powerful spirits you can summon. But you have to have keys for each spirit, and a contract with them."  

"I see. That makes sense. May I?" Anja held out her hand and Layla placed the golden key into her palm, cautiously eyeing up the wizard. By how tense her body was, Gildarts guessed that the item must be rare and valuable.

"It's exquisite-"  

"Anja, Ur, a word please?" Ida interrupted Anja's praise with a sharp, serious tone. Gildarts had never heard her voice sound so dark, and was struck with the realisation that he knew next to nothing about the guild master, accept that she had a grand daughter who lived nearby.  

Ur and Anja exchanged a glance, and Gildarts thought that this was the first time he had seen Ur looking nervous. Even Silver seemed unsure by their worried expressions. Layla shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"Of course, Ida-Sama." Anja spoke slowly, pushing herself up from her seat and walking towards their master, who stood just a few meters away, by the entrance to her office. Gildarts watched them go, the aroma of pie no longer smelling appealing to him, but rather made his stomach turn. He swallowed loudly.

"So... you were saying, about your magic?" Gildarts tried, but Layla and Silver were already starting their own conversation.

"What was that all about?"

"I dunno, it's never happened before."  

"It looks serious."

"With those two involved, it probably is." Their words were whispered in a quick fire, and Gildarts flinched at the onslaught.

"They're both S-Class wizards." Gildarts stretched his arms out, his eyes fluttering shut, but not before her caught the look of vulnerable surprise on her face.

"No way, seriously? But they're so..."

"Aggressive? Violent? Evil?" Silver offered playfully, and Layla dutifully rolled her eyes at his childish behavior. Gildarts brought his arm down from his stretch and and landed it on the top of Silver's head, who leaped up in response.

"You wanna go?" He growled, ice already dancing on the surface of his pale skin. Gildarts opened his mouth in reply, but firmly closed it again when Ur and Anja appeared from doorway of Ida's office. Ur had paled, and there was a frown creasing the exposed planes of Anja's forehead. She was worrying her bottom lip between her teeth, and nearly crashed into the chair in front of her in lack of concentration.

Anja stood proudly still, her hair tucked behind one ear, hands brushing creased from her trousers. Her eyes were hard, but her face was still soft with adolescence. This only became more noticeable when Ur came and stood behind her; it was easy to see who was the older one of the two. Despite the storm clouding the usual black of her eyes, when Ur spoke her voice was clear cut and definite.

"Gildarts, Silver, pack your things. We have a job to do."


	3. Details

The alarm lacrima which awoke Gildarts from his restless sleep was thrown mercilessly against the wall. Rolling over to grab his clothes from the unceremonious pile he had dumped them in the night before, Gildarts quickly recapped everything he had learnt from Anja and Ur the day before in preparation for what was to come.

-

_“Gildarts, Silver, pack your things. We have a job to do.”_

_Gildarts stared at Silver, who gaped back in equal disbelief. Anja and Ur, the two female S-Class wizards of Saturn’s Eye, were asking for help on a job! The ludicrousness of that fact alone was enough to make Gildarts laugh, if matters had been less serious. Silver, on the other hand, held none of Gildarts’ restraint, and began shaking in boyish guffaws._

_Instantly, Anja was leaning over him, eyes sharper than the blade which itched the tips of her fingers._

_“Do you think this is a joke, Silver?” She was calm, far too calm, and that drove home the direness of this quest. Gildarts sat up straighter in his chair, and felt Layla do the same beside him._

_“The council have sent us a request.” Ur’s voice was flat, her expression unreadable. Layla jumped up from her seat, eyes wide and afraid._

_“The council? But I thought that they never send job requests to specific guilds!”_

_“So did we, but Ida-san just told us that they requested five of us for a job. Anja and myself are going, and Ida-san suggested that Gildarts and Silver come, as well. The fifth person is yet to be decided.” Ur sighed, reaching a hand up to rub over her temple. Anja moved away from Silver and stood back on her heel, eyes closed and arms folded over her chest in quiet thought._

_“What does the job involve?” Gildarts asked after a moment of silence, allowing everyone to let this news settle in._

_“Destroying a dark guild who are planning a sacrificial ritual to resurrect Zeref.” Anja said._

_“Zeref… as in, the Dark Lord Zeref?” Layla stood and stared, body still, chest heaving._

_“Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be many ‘Zerefs’ in the area. Well, none worth brining back from the dead.” Ur replied, her lips pulling back into a dry smile that nobody reciprocated. Layla remained standing._

_“So… it’s dangerous?” Gildarts rested his chin onto his folded hands and eyed up Anja’s casual stance. A tense silence settled between them, and Gildarts knew with a sick clarity that there was more to this job than they had been told. The fact that the two S-Class wizards were dodging his gaze was proof of this.  
_

_“We don’t know, and that’s what’s dangerous.” Ur muttered, twirling a strand of hair in front of a face. She frowned and then tucked it behind her ear again.  
_

_“What do you mean?” Layla whispered.  
_

_“There are so many factors and questions which answers are unknown. For example, we don’t know what ritual they will be performing, or how many people will be there. We don’t know how many of them are wizards, or how close they are to completing their goal.” Anja frowned, lip catching between her top teeth.  
_

_“We could die.” Not a question, but a statement. Gildarts felt sick. More silence, the thick kind which nobody dared to break. The seconds passed, not painful and slow, but quick and sharp. Each moment where nobody spelt felt like time wasted, and Gildarts balled his fists up in frustration. Despite having nothing to say, Gildarts opened his mouth to speak.  
_

_“Why us?” Silver beat him to it, voice sombre and quiet. Gildarts had never seen his friend look as serious as in that moment, and that fact alone terrified him in ways that demons and beasts never had._

_“Ur and myself were chosen due to our status as S-Class wizards. We had the choice of who accompanied us, and we thought your individual skills would be of great use to us.” Anja settled into a more relaxed stance, her nose crinkling the freckles over her face into a tight peppering as she squinted against the sunlight which had appeared though the windows._

_“Still, me and Silver on a team together…” Gildarts muttered to himself, voice no louder than the breeze which rattled the guild doors. Ur stretched herself into Layla’s vacant chair, who shifted slightly to the side so that Ur was not blocked from the conversation._

_“Did you say something, Gildarts?” Anja looked over to him sharply. He shook his head._

_There were other people in the guild, but they left the group alone. Aside from Acacia throwing them worried glances from across the other end of the bar, everybody else avoid gazing at them for too long, their whispers sounding fearful and curious as they discussed amongst themselves what the ruckus was all about. For one shamefully selfish second, Gildarts wished that one of them would approach. That they would ask what the fuss was about and, upon hearing the same details that he had heard, they would bravely offer to go in his place. Ur reached over and rested her hand on Gildarts’ shoulder. The grin she sent him was dented with her dimples, and Gildarts wondered how a touch could feel so cold, and yet be so_ warm _. Ur moved her hand away and slouched onto the wooden chair, throwing her arm over the its back and resting her feet in Gildarts’ lap. He rolled his eyes at her actions, but inside he was set with a steely determination. Despite their bickering and their annoyance, Anja, Silver and Ur were his comrades. Even Layla, despite only knowing her for a fraction of time, could be considered ‘nakama’._

_If this job was going to be their death, he wasn’t going to let them die alone._

-

Gildarts stretched his limbs behind him, auburn hair getting caught up in his arms as he yawned. It was earlier than any human should ever be awake- so early that Gildarts was yet to see the sunrise- but when he arrived at the front gates of Saturn’s Eye, he was met with groans and sighs.

“We thought you’d never get your ass down here.” Silver quipped half-heartedly, his comment being interrupted by a yawn which stretched his whole features into that of inhuman fatigue. Gildarts ignored him, and turned to Anja instead.

“Am I the last?” He began, but then he counted- one, two, three, and himself to make four- he questioned again. “Who did Ida pick as the fi-”

“Sorry I’m late, everyone.” Layla’s dull voice made them all turn, and she stood with her face down, chest heaving and a blush tinting her cheeks. Whether that was from her rush to arrive or her embarrassment from being late, Gildarts didn’t know.

“What made you guys choose the Newbie?” Silver jerked his thumb in Layla’s direction. Gildarts knew that he did not mean it unkindly, but still wanted to punch him for being so blunt. Layla knotted her fingers into her jumper tightly.

“Experience.” Ur yawned, stretching herself like a cat and then grinning like one.

“She needs to know how we do things in our guild, and Ida-sama thought that this job would be good for Layla.” Anja brought her gauntlet clad hand down on Layla’s shoulder, and the latter only just managed to suppress her wince.  

“Well, I for one am glad that you could come!” Silver guffawed, pawing Layla’s back with a thump.

“Stop being so damn loud at this hour!” Ur yelled, landing a quick blow into Silver’s ribs. He rubbed out the pain and glared.

“I’m sorry, was that you, Ur? I almost didn’t recognise you with all of your clothes on.”

“You bastard!” Gildarts yawned again and turned away from the squabble, knowing that it could last for a few seconds or their entire journey to the inn the council had prepared for them. Either way, he did not deem it interesting enough to watch, and he was too tired to join in. He went to speak to Layla, but saw her already deep in conversation with Anja. Gildarts overhead something which sounded like a strategy plan, and crinkled his nose up in distaste. He was far too tired for talk of intelligence, as well.  

He rested himself against the wall, shutting his eyes and letting the breeze wash over him. The sun was still rising, and Gildarts knew that the guild would soon be open for business.

“When is the coach arriving?” Layla asked. Ur and Silver stopped their bickering and thought for a moment.

“It should be here at any time.” Anja said. Everyone eyed up the dusty road which remained to be empty bar them, and then turned away again.

They broke up into their own conversations, Silver laughing loudly as Layla covered her face in embarrassment; Ur and Anja with their heads bent close, whispering furiously and casting quick glances at their teammates. When Anja directed her stare at Gildarts, he met it steadily. There was a moment when the wind rustled the trees, and the moon cast soft shadows on the ground, and they just /looked/ at each other. Anja’s jaw set and she turned away once again facing Ur.  

When the coach arrived, everyone watched as Gildarts got on first, throwing himself into the seat in the back corner of the vehicle, pressing his face against the window with a sigh.  

He had a bad feeling about this job.


End file.
